Ofrenda Supply Calculator
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Photos of the departed | the invitation home |
| Cempasúchil marigolds | scent and color guide the spirits' path |
| Papel picado | wind and celebration |
| Pan de muerto | food for guests and altar alike |
| Salt | purification for the journey back |
| Water | quenches the thirst of the trip |
| Copal incense | carries prayers upward |
| Candles | fire, lighting the way |
| Favorite foods & drink | what the departed loved |
| For angelitos (Nov 1) | toys, sweets, white flowers |
Tradition notes: Mexican state and federal guidance (edomex.gob.mx, gob.mx) describes 2, 3 and 7 tier altars by family custom, two levels the most common; quantities here are common-practice starting points, and the family's custom is the authority. Education: Smithsonian NMAI, Day of the Dead resources. Days: Nov 1 angelitos, Nov 2 adults, yearly fixed. Related: diwali supply calculator, hanukkah supply calculator, holiday dinner host calculator.
Every October the same shopping scramble: papel picado one day, marigolds the next, and no loaf of pan de muerto left at the panaderia by the time you remember. The ofrenda itself follows family custom — Mexican state guidance describes two, three or seven tiers (earth and sky; plus the underworld; or the soul's long passage), with two levels the most common home build — but the SUPPLY list behind it is surprisingly stable: photos, candles, cempasúchil marigolds, papel picado, pan de muerto, salt, water, copal and the favorite foods of the people you are honoring.
This calculator turns your tier count and guest list into a starting shopping list — loaves, candle sticks, marigold stems, sugar skulls — scaled by party math, with quantities framed as common practice rather than doctrine, because on this altar the family's own custom is the highest authority. The calendar side is fixed: November 1 honors the children (los angelitos), November 2 the adults, every year without exception.
How to use
- Pick the tier count your family builds — two levels is the common home altar, seven the full traditional showpiece.
- Enter how many people will gather, and read the pan de muerto, candle and marigold starting quantities.
- Work the checklist top to bottom — photos, salt, water, copal, papel picado, favorite foods — and add whatever your family's custom asks for.
Frequently asked questions
How many levels should an ofrenda have?
Two, three or seven, and the rule is family custom first: Mexican state guidance describes two levels as earth and sky, three as earth, sky and the underworld — the most common traditional build — and seven as the soul's stages through the underworld. Two levels are the most common home altar; the symbolism, not a rulebook, picks the number.
What is the difference between November 1 and November 2?
November 1 belongs to the children — los angelitos, honored with toys, sweets and white flowers on their own smaller altars — and November 2 belongs to the adults, when the full ofrenda carries photos, pan de muerto, salt, water and the favorite meals of the departed. Many families keep the altar standing across both days.
Why are marigolds the flower of the day?
The cempasúchil's scent and color are said to guide the spirits home — petals scattered in a path from the street to the altar mark the route, and arches of the flowers frame the doorway. Fresh stems by the handful, or petals by the bag, both appear on real altars; the aroma is doing the work.
How much pan de muerto do I need?
Bakeries sell it by the loaf and the piece, and the common party-math starting point is one small loaf or two pieces per guest, plus one loaf for the altar itself. It is bread for the living as much as an offering — the aroma, like the marigolds, is part of the welcome.
What do salt and water mean on the altar?
Salt stands for purification and keeps the returning spirits strong for the journey back; water quenches the thirst of the long trip. They sit alongside copal incense, whose scent carries prayers upward — the elements list is one of the most stable parts of a tradition that otherwise varies family by family.